nobody asked…

The Republican Offenders website maintains a growing list of Republicans charged with criminal activity. Of the 284 presently on the list, at least 60 are pedophiles. Each name is linked to a group heading of the type of crime alleged or convicted. (Among the categories are rape, bribery and “assorted felonies”.)

Ahhh… the Grand Old Party of George Bush and John McCain… If this was not so pathetically sad, it would be hilarious…

[ A rattle of my handcuffs to Crooks & Liars ]

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Not since the election of President John F. Kennedy have I been so encouraged as I am now about the possibilities that lie ahead. Over the past eight years, the United States of America that we love and call home has been ravaged and shredded from inside and out. From the horrific terrorists attacks of 9/11 to the spectacular failures of Bush’s policies and implementations, we are weaker at home and abroad than at any time in our nation’s history. My singular hope is that you and your administration will be able to at least get us back to even, back where we were before the misguided Bush administration wreaked their unholy brand of havoc. If that turn-around can be accomplished in your maximum two terms, we should ask no more of you, though we will be hoping for more.

My pleasure at your candidacy is multi-tiered. Among the Democratic candidates, it was clear early on that you offered the best balance of intelligence, integrity, and inspiration, attributes that have been sorely lacking in the Bush administration. On those measures, the presumptive Republican candidate pales. Most candidates talk of change. You have advanced not just the rhetoric, but the ideas to inspire the changes we so desperately need. I believe you when you say you will bring change, and I trust you to follow through.

The combination of those two broad brush strokes, balance and trust, make you my candidate of choice. On a third and more personal level, as a 65-year old white male who dedicated a part of his life to working for racial and gender equality, I am so highly gratified that in my lifetime we overcame enough relics of our past to select a serious Presidential candidate who is not a white male. That is a tribute not only to you but to all who worked and suffered and died to prepare the way for your candidacy to be possible.

I am not so presumptuous as to think I might have ideas that you haven’t already had. I have listened carefully to your positions on key issues facing the next President, and I am in accord with those. However, aside from the issues, I will offer a few of my thoughts in hopes that they parallel and enforce some of the directions you have already set. This is how at least one American thinks…

Do not let McCain drag you into battle on his tainted turf. You are better and larger than that. Stand firm and tall. Speak clearly and with conviction. Continue to walk the walk and talk the talk. Be yourself. Be Presidential.

McCain’s major topic of late seems to be based on his perception of how you, as President, would manage Iraq. Yes, Iraq is and will be an important issue. But, keep your head about you and remember that this election is not about Iraq. This election is about America.

Your running mate is your choice, with the guidance you will undoubtedly receive from your trusted advisors and the central powers of the DNC. As of now, there is much speculation about Hillary Clinton. While I personally disfavor her, I can see that a team of Obama - Clinton would be a formidable presence in this election and just might ensure a Democratic victory in November. I assume that you and Hillary could find common ground to form a cohesive administration. If she is your choice, please make sure you have firmly settled in your mind, and hers, the question of, What to do about Bill?

I heard about a McCain fundraiser here in Nashville a few days ago. The invitation-only affair was held in the home of a very wealthy Republican, and was attended by 100 people who each pledged $10,000 to the McCain campaign. A cool million for a couple of hours appearance is not bad. However, I believe your campaign will be far stronger, because that same million dollars will come in $100 donations from 10,000 people. The real strength is in the number of people, not the size of their portfolios. Power from the people…

You can win this. Many millions of us want to help.

Now we begin…

Respectfully,

Winston Rand
Franklin, TN
June 5, 2008

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If I should ever go insane and run for public office, I would not seek nor would I want the endorsement of people who openly express their disdain or hatred of people not like themselves. But Hillary Clinton, in winning the support of a majority of Democrats in West Virginia has done just that. She basked in the bigotry that was showered on her. She glowed with that smug arrogance and better-than-you white privilege attitude that sickens and disgusts so many of us. I am not suggesting that she should be ashamed, because she is what she is, that’s all she knows. The ability to feel shame requires one have some moral sense of right and wrong, and she has not demonstrated any knowledge of those concepts.

I agree with Tamarika that the Democratic party and the Democratic super-delegates should be calling Clinton out for being a part of such a racially charged endorsement celebration. And the people of West Virginia who stand up and boastfully declare that they would never vote for a black man, you remind me of others who made similar declarations while standing in school house doorways in Alabama or blocking access to voter registration offices in Mississippi, people who, like you, lived at the intersection of ignorance and invective.

The year is 2008. It is far past time for you to get over it. The United States of America will elect a black president, if not this year, soon.

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I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it. — Thomas Jefferson

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There are two things that I am as sure of as death and taxes: (1) George W. Bush is a liar, and (2) Keith Olbermann tells the truth. Here is an extract of Olbermann’s comments on MSNBC’s Countdown as he ripped President Bush, his lies and cruel treatment of our soldiers, by fact-checking Bush’s April 10 speech about Iraq.

Last year he escalated the war in Iraq, today he announced that there would be deescalation beyond July, yet somehow stood there with a straight face and lied about how he was withdrawing troops. Now, that was hardly the lone instance of dissembling, tortured logic, sophistry and outright dishonesty in Mr. Bush’s latest sugar-coating of the undeniable and unforgivable fact that he is continuing to arrange for the needless deaths of American heroes.

As reported by Crooks & Liars: President Bush has decided to put a hold on troop withdrawals, but tries to give the appearance that he’s actually reducing troop levels. He also reduced tours of duty for our soldiers from 15 months to 12, but with a cruel caveat — it doesn’t apply to any troops currently in Iraq or those deploying before August. Olbermann rips Bush for saying troop morale would plummet if we were to lose in Iraq by not fulfilling HIS goals, pointing out that some 120 soldiers committed suicide last year alone, and for them, the war is already over.

It seems that Bush is not only a liar, but also stupid enough to think that the American people are still buying it. Only a small minority of his faithful drones remain, the ones who not only believe Bush is somehow a blood relative of Jesus Christ, but who also believe any limp puppet (like the unfortunate sacrificial lamb, Gen. Petraeus) that Bush runs out to read a manuscript of lies prepared by the Whitehouse. One of the saddest parts of this ongoing tragedy is that Bush actually believes “Mission Accomplished“.

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Turn the volume up, get your toes ready to tap, and have at it. This is especially for my friend Tamarika, an avid Obama supporter in Philadelphia.

[A big flip of my voting lever for Annatopia for publishing this right where I could find it. I challenge everyone who is in favor of change in our country to grab this and publish it also. This is one we cannot play too much or too often until the battle is won...]

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I found this little jewel over at Joared’s Along The Way:

How come we choose from just two people for President, and fifty for Miss America?

She found it on a Wikipedia page dedicated to Alfred E. Neuman’s quotes. If you are old enough to say, What, Me Worry?, raise your hand.

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Last night I finally found the time to sit quietly and read the entire text of Barack Obama’s March 18, 2008, speech, A More Perfect Union. Having heard snippets of it aired by the media over the last couple of days, I already knew that it was delivered with Obama’s singularly powerful oratorical skill. He eloquently and effectively delivers with the same style as Dr. Martin Luther King, a passionate style that captivates an audience with deliberate, methodical rhythm and repetition. The effect is indeed powerful and convincing. Not all leaders have this ability, but all truly great leaders are masters of oratory. They use their talents to persuade and motivate people to dream, to hope, to achieve. Barack Obama is such a leader.

The short clips I have seen and heard do not do justice to the power or intent of Obama’s speech on race. As I read the full text, I caught myself frequently nodding agreement, tensing when the truth cut too close to home, and frowning when confronted with the ugly reality that in 2008 there still exists in the United States of America, a deep dark chasm separating what we say we believe from the way we live. Being a 60-something white male who spent an important part of my life working for equality of opportunity for my black, brown, yellow, and red brothers and sisters, I know, for I have seen, how very far we have come in the last generation. And it rips at the core of who I am to know that we still have so very far to go. But I have hope…

Barack Obama’s campaign to become the Democratic nominee for President of the United States is, in and of itself, a living proof of the changes that have occurred in the fabric of American culture over the last few decades. The racially charged slurs and attacks on him confirm that we have so very much left to accomplish. The broad based support of Obama’s campaign signals hope that we are on the right track. The promise of his campaign is unity. The message of his campaign is hope…

Concluding his speech is a vignette about a young white woman named Ashley. I do not want to deny you the emotional impact of that story, except to say that my chosen title was a remark made by an elderly black man in response to the question of why he attended an organizational meeting in support of Barack Obama. I’m here because of Ashley. I urge you to read the entire text of Obama’s defining and historic speech. By the end you may shed a tear or two. I did…

Barack Obama gives me hope…

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If you had a pulse in 1967, you knew this song by Buffalo Springfield. It was written by Stephen Stills (yes, that Stephen Stills), one of the founders of the group, after he witnessed police actions against a crowd of young people gathered on Sunset Strip to stage an anti-war protest. The song was recorded in December 1966, and by March 1967, Buffalo Springfield had a Top Ten Hit. The group was together just over two years, but was an influential folk-rock group that served as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Understanding that this is a protest song, enjoy Buffalo Springfield performing For What It’s Worth. The lyrics are below the video window in case you want to sing along…

There’s something happening here
What it is ain’t exactly clear
There’s a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware
I think it’s time we stop, children, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down

There’s battle lines being drawn
Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind
I think it’s time we stop, hey, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down

What a field-day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say, hooray for our side
It’s time we stop, hey, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you’re always afraid
You step out of line, the man come and take you away

We better stop, hey, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down
Stop, hey, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down
Stop, now, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down
Stop, children, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down

To remind those who lived it, and to reveal it to those too young to remember, here’s another rendition, creatively crafted into a collage tapestry of images of the day. This is what it was all about. This is what we did in the ’60s to protest another ill-advised war in a land far away, another war we could not and did not win. Where are the young people today? Why are there no protests in the streets? Roomie and I have talked about this on several occasions and we are in agreement — if there was a draft today, it would be the ’60s all over again. Protests. Rallys. One-way trips to Canada. A President and other high-ranking political and military officials with broken spirits. Maybe even free love and nickle beer… nah, not likely.

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This was sitting on the apron at the 118th Airlift Wing of the Tennessee Air National Guard at the Nashville International Airport a couple of days ago. Since I was zooming along Murphreesboro Pike at 172 MPH with the rest of the traffic, I could not snap my own picture of it, so copped one from a Google Image Search. Thank you.

I have seen AF1 at that same spot on several occasions over the years, and always have some thoughts and impressions — some old and repetitive, some new and fresh.

• That plane is one big mutha! It dwarfs the seven C-130 TANG Cargo Planes lined up on the tarmac next to it, ready to roll on a moment’s notice to deliver troops and supplies to remote trouble spots in Afghanistan, Iraq, or Alabama.
• Why do we spend gazillions of taxpayer dollars every year keeping this highest-of-tech beauty in the air? Actually, I’ve heard there are a couple of identical planes, so it is double-gazillions. Why can’t Bush fly with the rest of us, crammed into a seat too small for his ass, knees up under his chin, and not enough headroom for his considerable ego?
• It turns out the plane was in town this time to deliver his royal Bushness to meet with a big gathering of religious broadcasters. Care to venture a guess as to what religion was dominant among the attendees? Herr Bush was there to stump for evangelical support for his continuing evangelical destruction of Iraq for no particular reason except that he can, and nobody seems to have the balls to step up and say enough is enough. [Sorry... rant over...]
• According to an article in the Nashville Business Journal, Tennessee’s Senior Senator, Lamar Alexander, was in town for the same function. I wonder who woke him up.
• One of the hot-button issues of the National Religious Broadcasters organization is the Fairness Doctrine, which apparently provides for “balanced public-affairs-related programming.” I do not know enough about this to have an informed opinion. However, Bush and the Republicans are calling it unconstitutional (their favorite label for anything that does not line their pockets), and that’s good enough for me. If Bush is against it, then by gawd I’m for it, whatever it is!

[Side note to self: Schedule some time to work on being more forthcoming with my opinions. Learn to speak up and say what's on my mind instead of beating around the Bush...]

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Funny how there are so many things in life that we never stop to think about but just take for granted as being part of our environment, part of the background noise. Like air. And why are stop signs red and octagonal? Why do men torture themselves by wearing neckties? And the origin and meaning of the peace symbol.

It had never occurred to me that something like the peace symbol might have a birthday. But thanks to Crooks & Liars, I now know that this universally recognized icon was born 50 years ago. Developed in 1958 by a British textile designer and conscientious objector named Gerald Holtom, the symbol combined the graphics for the semaphore letters N and D, for nuclear disarmament. On Feb. 21, 1958 the symbol was adopted by the Direct Action Committee Against Nuclear War. The symbol soon began to be used in anti-nuclear protests across Britain and then spread around the globe. Over the years, the meaning has broadened to become a general symbol for pursuit of peace.

Some of us remember the nuclear threats of the Cold War days in the 1950s and ’60s, the period that spawned the peace symbol. We remember the peace symbol becoming an instantly recognizable emblem defiantly worn and displayed by those who objected to an ill-conceived and ill-fated war in Vietnam. Today, a majority of Americans object to another ill-conceived and ill-fated war in Iraq. A war defined as a fight against an enemy we cannot see, have not found, and do not understand. A war fought for reasons never understood and long ago forgotten. A war that continues for reasons not apparent to rational men and women.

Symbols and protests do not end wars or redirect our misguided politicians. However, there is ample evidence that in the Vietnam War and in the struggle for Civil Rights, symbols and protests by those who had deep convictions definitely helped this nation to focus more clearly on the issues. Where are today’s hippies and protestors wearing the peace symbol, marching in the streets, demanding an end to the atrocities? Where are the taxpayers, who should be protesting the continued drain of their pockets to finance this war to the tune of $275 Million each day, mortgaging America’s present and future? Is there no visible protest because there is no threat of a draft? If there was a draft, is the Canadian border still open to young Americans fleeing to avoid the war? How have we as a people become so blind and stupid and complacent that something like this can happen? And keep on happening?

Anti-war does not mean anti-US. I am against the war in Iraq, but I love my country, and I fully support our military men and women assigned to Iraq. They should be supported with the best and enough of everything they need to ensure their safety and well being. But the greatest support we could give them would be to bring them home safely and quickly. Don’t believe me? Ask them…

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[Wave of the campaign collection plate to Crooks & Liars for bringing to us this nugget from the collection over at Mock, Paper, Scissors].

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If the facts don’t fit the theory, change the facts. — Albert Einstein

Most of us would probably agree that old Al was a fairly bright dude. And I think we know what he meant by this little jewel, especially in his fields of scientific and mathematical pursuits. After all, in addition to being one of the brightest bulbs in the chandelier, he was also known to have a very wry sense of humor. I seriously doubt he had in mind, or would approve of, the rewriting and spinning of facts and history as they unfold, a la Big Brother style.

Big corporations do it, as in Microsoft calling software bugs, features. Big government does it by telling us that the disaster in Iraq is going well and making progress. Politicians do it by saying whatever their people think the audience wants to hear, all sounding alike, and all telling convenient lies. And big media does it by spinning almost everything to their own purposes of advertising dollars, profits and their almighty god, share.

We as a people, as a culture, have such tremendous capability, such enormous opportunity. It is shameful that the zeitgeist of our time is written in lies, rewriting of history, spinning of facts, cheating, greed, and the most powerful nation ever to emerge on the planet being drained and sucked into bankruptcy and oblivion by an unwinnable guerrilla war against an unseen enemy in a godforsaken country halfway around the globe.

Meanwhile, the great beast of China quietly moves in and takes us over, just as we are being infested at a phenomenal rate by a seemingly unstoppable flow of millions of illegal aliens from south of the border. Some of you will object to these words. Check the labels on everything you purchased in the past month. Check the lines at the employment office, driver license station, Medicare/Medicaid office, or any human/family service agency. [Thanks! I needed that. Rant over...]

I do not like myself at my skeptical worst. I do not like the fact that I have let myself become that way. I do not like that I have little choice but to question everything, trust no one. It has always been my nature to accept everyone openly at face value, to trust them implicitly until given reason not to. That has always worked for me, other than with a couple of lowlife bottom feeders that had such a good act that it took me longer than normal to wake up. That trait so deeply colors who I am that I continue to trust individuals until they show different stripes. Having said that, I also admit that I do so through a more critical eye than in the past. It takes less to move me from trust to don’t trust than in the past.

Organizations, whether business, government, non-profit, religious, or other, have collectively lost my trust, at least until they prove trustworthy, and even then it is day-to-day. In the end, it all comes down to individuals. Individual trust is at the core of all relationships.

It would seem that we have come far afield from Einstein’s thought that kicked off this post. Or have we? Perhaps we’ve just come full circle. Some things to think about in the private echo chamber of your mind: Who do you trust? Do you trust more or less than in the past? How accepting are you when introduced to someone new? Do you approach the trusting of individuals differently than you do organizations? Is your overall trust level, especially as it applies to organizations, different than it was years ago? If so, why? If your trust level has shifted, are you at ease with that?

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Hillary may want to check this out. It’s amazing that this one album from 1963 is loaded with songs appropriate to her tearful predicament and campaign. Just read the titles below and you’ll see what I mean…

. I borrowed this album from CGHill over at dustbury. He has enough music that maybe he won’t miss it before I slip it back into the stack. The Party’s Over? Really? So soon?

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